The Terrible Terror of Stoick The Vast
by Luki Dimension
Summary: Stoick froze.  It couldn't be. Please, the gods could not be this cruel…
1. Sunset

Okay, this was originally written for the How To Train Your Dragon Big Bang. However, due to real life problems for the person actually organising it all, its been put back and put back to the point that we're now at the year long anniversary. Given that, and the fact that I hate leaving finished work just wasting away in my hard drive where it can't be enjoyed, I've decided to call my entry a wash, release it normally and just enter a new story if the Big Bang does start up again.

Since this is actually all complete, you'll all have the novel experience of not having to wait months for chapters to show up. Plan to update once a day.

Many thanks to **Lost_Laputian** for being my beta too.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p><strong>The Terrible Terror of Stoick the Vast<strong>

**SUNSET**

It had certainly been one of the more interesting winters Berk had faced. Dragons were clearly not used to spending long periods of time in snow, and the home-repair Vikings had been kept busy by the number of doors and walls demolished by mounts that couldn't fit through main doors.

Despite that, winter came and left with minimal hardship that was nearly unheard of. Unaware of just how this had happened, one of their allied tribes to the North had asked for aid, their own supplies and injured too vast to deal with, and Stoick had been happy to answer. Right up until he'd told Hiccup to come with him.

At the time, the teen had been in a newly built stable by Gobber's shop, designed to fit dragons for saddle fittings, measuring up a Monstrous Nightmare. Toothless was dozing against the wall; apparently dead to the world, though Stoick was more than certain that was an act. After hearing his request, Hiccup had stumbled and collapsed over the Nightmare's back, causing it to shift in irritation.

"You want me to what?" Hiccup gulped.

"Come with the ships," Stoick urged. "It's high time you started making connections outside of Berk. You won't make it far without allies, dragons or no dragons."

One of Hiccup's hands was still on the Nightmare, but his attention was clearly on his father, genuine delight on his face.

"But you've never want me to come along," he said. "You even took Snotlout last year."

Yes, well, the open secret among the Haddock family (and indeed the rest of Berk) was that Stoick had never really expected Hiccup to inherit the title of Chief. But that had been then, and the Hiccup of then was not the Hiccup of now.

But as quick as it had come, the light dimmed from Hiccup's face, and he shook his head before turning back to the Nightmare.

"I can't, Dad. I really, really wish I could, but I've got a dozen saddles to make, flying lessons now that the thaw's here—"

"Gobber and your friends can handle all of that," Stoick interrupted. "There's nothing that can't be held off for a few weeks."

But Hiccup was still focused on the dragon, lifting a prototype saddle for inspection.

"Something could go wrong," he murmured. "The snow kept them quiet and not everyone's flown yet. What if there's a fight, or a raid? They listen to me – I need to be here until we understand them better."

Hiccup was so certain and matter-of-fact about it, Stoick felt his arguments fall silent. Hiccup clearly believed leaving now was bad for the village, and as long as it wasn't due to doubt or self-confidence, Stoick was content to let it pass.

"All right, son, but so long as you agree to come next time."

Hiccup was under the dragon now, fixing the straps.

"I promise, Dad. Now just let me finish this off and you can take Hookfang for a test flight."

Stoick faltered. "You want me to fly… _him_."

"Well, this is the Nightmare you like, right?"

Now that Hiccup mentioned it, he did recognise the Nightmare as one that had hung around the Haddock household a few times. The dragon was older, its red scales taking on a strong brown tint that almost made it fiercer than the blood reds that were two a penny. It was bigger than most of the other Nightmares, too, and had been pulling its weight by bringing in the odd boar from the forest during the winter in exchange for some scratches under the neck. One time, near the start of the thaw, he'd returned with a large fish instead, along with a rather vicious fisherman's hook caught in his gums, and Stoick had been referring to the beast as 'Hookfang' ever since. Stoick wouldn't exactly say he was "friends" with the beast, but they had an understanding. Apparently Hiccup took that to mean riding potential.

"Hiccup, as much as some of the others have taken to it, I really don't know if flying is for me," Stoick began.

He couldn't quite see Hiccup under the beast, but he was pretty certain his son had shrugged. "You'll have to do it eventually. It won't be easy to convince the other tribes not to kill dragons if you can't show all the good they can do. Flying off the boat would be one hell of an opening argument."

"You… want me to take a dragon on the ship."

Hiccup laughed. "Well, it's not like they'll just believe you without proof."

Stoick sighed; he'd been avoiding this conversation, namely because he knew how Hiccup would react.

"Hiccup… we won't be taking any dragons with us."

The teen stilled, and crawled out in confusion. "You won't?"

Stoick braced himself before continuing. "Son, for now, I think it would be best if knowledge of our… alliance with dragons was kept on this island. It's not going to be easy to convince other tribes to change generations of practice, and we're still learning."

Hiccup was on feet, staring at him and clearly not understanding.

"But they'll keep killing dragons! We have to stop that!"

From the entrance of the stable, both heard Toothless growl, any pretence of sleep over with.

"Hiccup," Stoick insisted, "I am not, despite what you may think, the most stubborn Chief in these waters. And I _disowned _you rather than listen to what you had to say. It took damming the entire village and nearly losing you before I changed my mind."

"But the other tribes need our help now," Hiccup argued. "They don't know why we've had such an easy winter, and they're going to ask why. If they won't listen to us, we refuse them aid!"

"Listen to yourself!" Stoick yelled back, throwing out any plan to keep calm. "Do you have any idea how many alliances we would lose? How many villages would choose death out of pride? We will not force anyone to follow our example."

Hiccup was glaring at him, hands clenched as the Nightmare backed out, either due to the tones or the growling Fury at the other side.

"So you'd rather they find out when they're at full strength? When they come to trade and then see what we've been hiding? Don't you think they'll break alliances then anyway? When _we_ are the ones who need what they have? They'll find out eventually, so isn't it better to do it when it's at our advantage?"

It was probably the most Viking-like thing Hiccup had ever said, but Stoick had no room for fatherly pride about it.

"No dragon is coming, Hiccup. That's final."

With that, Stoick stormed out of the stable, ignoring the cat slit eyes from the hissing Toothless, and pretending not the hear Hiccup kick a metal bucket into the wall.

He also didn't see Hookfang walk out, eyes focused on his retreating back.

* * *

><p>"So, Hiccup's not coming?"<p>

Stoick looked up from his spot by the fire. Gobber was leaning in the doorway, a long-suffering look on his face and a Terror on his shoulder. Stoick looked away.

"I'm sure you heard most of it."

"Aye, and I'm about ready to start charging the two of you for all the counselling I have to do."

The little dragon flew in, perching on the bar above the fire as the peg-legged Viking followed, taking a seat next to his old friend.

"You know I don't allow those in the house," Stoick warned, pointing to the Terror, and Gobber rolled his eyes.

"You know, he _did_ have a point."

He got a sigh in return. "I know, but this situation is still too new. We can't risk letting the other tribes know until it's stable."

Stoick stood up and started to pace. "Hiccup puts dragons on the same level as Vikings. He forgets what he had to go through to get Berk to accept them, that there are still people in the village who sleep with one eye open."

Gobber shrugged, nodding towards his own Terror. "It doesn't help that you're one of them."

"I let Toothless sleep in the house!" Stoick defended, and Gobber held up a hand.

"True, but we both know you didn't really get much say in that. And you do try to avoid the rest of them when you can."

His friend sighed and slumped back into his seat. "Old habits die hard, Gobber. One of them moves unexpectedly and I'll kill it. Then where will we be?"

"You can't avoid them forever," Gobber chided. "Especially if you want to keep your relationship with Hiccup going as well as it has been."

"I know!" Stoick moaned. "I just… we just can't seem to meet halfway on anything. I just wish he could understand where I'm coming from."

He stood and grabbed his supplies. "I'd better go. Boats will be shipping off soon; keep an eye on him for me."

"Always do," Gobber replied, and leaned his head on his good hand as the man left.

"Hope you realise Hiccup just wants the same thing from you."

To his side, no longer interested in the fire, the Terror watched the man leave, with the same calculating eyes the Nightmare had watched him with.

* * *

><p>It was a long two weeks. The waters had been choppier than expected travelling to the Northern Island, taking them almost twice as long as it should have to get there. Once on solid ground, they'd been constantly active – their neighbouring tribe had had a very bad season. Unlike Berk, they'd gotten ice and very little snow, so dragon raids had happened when they were normally absent. As such, all supplies had been diminished to nonexistent, and many of them were close to death's door with injuries and sickness.<p>

Needless to say, none of them had any kind words for dragons, and the Vikings of Berk stayed tight-lipped, mindful of their Chief's orders.

By the time they were ready to leave, Stoick had found himself in a room with Hogbar, the fellow Chief, thanking him profusely for the help. Since the North dealt mostly in cows rather than sheep, he promised a good deal on a few calves in the late spring.

And now they setting back for home, where the ocean had only gotten choppier. Several hours into the journey and a sun long since set, every man was running the ships, trying to keep it afloat. The wind and rain didn't help, and Stoick bit back a curse as his helmet was ripped from his head, crashing onto the deck.

"Find land!" he yelled. "There's no way the ship will survive this."

"There was an island not a few miles away on the map," someone else hollered. "We might make it."

"If we can find it in this!" another voice snapped back, and Stoick glared in its direction.

"We're Vikings! A storm like this is nothing! Get the oars out and row!"

His men complied, and Stoick grabbed an oar himself, ready to help, when the sea jerked the boat once again, and a wave crashed over the already soaking men. Stoick was slammed into the side, barely holding on, when another, stronger blow came across, knocking him into the water.

"Stoick!"

* * *

><p>He couldn't hear the yells of his men, water pushing and pulling him to its own tune. The darkness, the cold… even if he could fight against the current he had no idea which way was up…<p>

His lungs burned. Air, he needed air.

But the current wouldn't let go, continuing to pull him along. As his eyes began to dim, he almost thought he could see something coming towards him. A fish? A whale?

No… A dragon. A dragon flying as if the ocean wasn't there, speeding towards him, jaws open and ready to grab him.

Stoick blacked out.

* * *

><p>It could have been minutes; it could have been days, but when Stoick slowly came back to consciousness, all he could feel was the cold. He was soaking wet and chilled to the bone, lying on a hard and equally damp surface.<p>

He struggled to open his eyes, wincing at the sharp light of the moon. So he'd survived the storm?

The Viking tried to stand up, only to collapse to the ground again, his arms and legs not quite reacting as he expected, no doubt too stiff from the water and how he'd been lying. Instead he turned his head as much as he could, neck protesting the action.

He was on a rock, that much was obvious. The storm had cleared, and the light wasn't great, but he was certain this damp little rock was next to a ridiculously high cliff. From this position he couldn't see how high, but oddly familiar. His eyes flicked the right, and widened.

_This is impossible…_

The moon highlighted a wooden dock practically within stepping distance, with a path leading up the cliff. A dock and a path he knew like the back of his hand. It was littered with debris from the storms, but no less unmistakable.

_Berk?_

His jaw dropped, trying to make sense of it all.

_But I was in the middle of the ocean… it would take days to get back. And that's assuming I could survive in the water that long – I would have died from the cold in hours._

And yet, he was here. Stranded on a rock so close to home, and yet completely unable to move. A wave from the tide crashed a little higher than normal, soaking Stoick once again, and he growled in frustration. The chill was getting worse… he needed warmth or he wouldn't see the sunrise.

_Oh, Odin help me, somebody's got to be around…_

"Help!" he yelled. "Anyo—"

He cut himself off when he realised his voice had been unrecognisable. The cry for help sounded more like a wet cat than simple Norse.

Stoick called again, hearing the same growling, hissing noise in return.

_Has my throat been damaged? It doesn't hurt, but maybe that's still the cold._

Wait, somebody was coming.

His eyes lit up when he spotted Hiccup and his constant shadow running up the dock. Even if his son was still angry, he wouldn't leave him like this.

"Hiccup!" he tried to call, this time hearing more of a screech. The teen stopped at the edge of the dock, staring at him. Toothless crouched at the end of the dock, locking eyes with him before leaping over.

Stoick's eyes widened as the dragon appeared to shoot up in height. He hadn't noticed with the distance, but Toothless was towering over him. He could only gape up at the monstrous mouth above him, his mind flashing back to the Dragon's Island.

"Toothless," Hiccup called, bringing Stoick from his stupor, "Is he all right?"

The Night Fury huffed, and with a toothy smile, lunged for Stoick. He yelped and backed away, almost losing his footing and falling back into the frothy water, when the skin of his neck was lightly caught, and he was lifted up like a wet kitten. Which he tolerated for all of two seconds.

"Let go of me, beast!" he yelled. "I don't know what's going on, but if you don't drop me I'm turning you into a throw rug!"

At least, he tried to yell. He could still only hear that vicious pitch, and Toothless merely tightened his grip on his neck. Stoick tried to move his stiff body again, only to freeze when Toothless gave him a brief shake and growled.

_Don't make a fuss, Terror. We're trying to help._

Stoick stilled, not reacting even when the Night Fury jumped back, planting his prize in Hiccup's own too-large hands, lifting him with ridiculous ease and holding him close. He'd understood the dragon, perfectly.

"You're frozen!" the teen exclaimed. "I'd better get you inside."

Stoick tried to struggle out of the embrace, confusion leaving for panic. What was going on? Why was he so small? Why wouldn't his body move properly? And why couldn't he talk?

In the back of his mind, a terrible, impossible thought began to fight its way to the forefront.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Hiccup tried to soothe, his arms tightening around Stoick. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

His son turned and started running back to the village, stopping only once to rearrange Stoick to be more comfortable, and Stoick tensed when he saw his son fold a tail up and across his chest, flopping against yellow scales and stubby legs, the thought becoming foremost in his mind.

Oh, no…

For the first time since waking up, Stoick took a good look at what he could see of himself, and wished he hadn't.

Little yellow scales on his chest, shifting to the red of his hair at the sides. Four little legs ending in clawed feet, and a tail almost as long as him decorated with little red spikes.

He whimpered in his new whining voice that suddenly sounded so familiar. It was the voice he heard from Gobber's shop, from Meade Hall when food fell to the floor, and when Hiccup would find a lost flock and take them home for the night.

It couldn't be. Please, the gods could not be this cruel…

Sadly, as Hiccup headed into town and back to the house, Stoick couldn't help but deny the truth.

He wasn't a Viking.

He was a Terrible Terror.

_To be continued..._


	2. Night

**NIGHT **

Hiccup was worried.

There were heavy storms on the way, and Toothless had been reluctant to leave the skies, fearing he wouldn't get out the night after. It had resulted in them staying out past sunset, and close to midnight. They'd been heading back home, up until they'd spotted the Terrible Terror splayed out on the rocks.

It had clearly gotten separated from its flock and fallen into the waters. It looked well fed and its scales had a strong hue, but it had barely had the energy to squeak when Toothless picked it up. For a moment it appeared to panic, gaining more movement, before freezing again, not even reacting when Hiccup held him close. The Terror either had no fear of humans, or was too hurt to process what was happening. It remained still for the entire walk back to Berk, eyes glazed.

Terrible Terrors couldn't stay still for thirty seconds, much less the time it took to make it back into the village. And no dragon let itself be led somewhere without taking note of what they passed. Something had to be wrong with it. Hiccup hoped it wasn't physical – for all the headway they were making with dragons, if one got sick or injured, there really wasn't much they could do.

He pulled his furs closer to his body, almost hiding the Terror inside them, and rubbed it against the dragon's scales. The first thing he had to do was get it warmed up.

Toothless was already ahead of him, bounding up to the door of the Haddock home and pawing at the door. It had taken him two months and three doors knocked off the hinges, but the dragon had managed to work out how to open it when unlocked. He pushed the heavy door in and slipped inside, Hiccup hearing the telltale sounds of a fire getting a boost from the Fury's flame.

* * *

><p>"Okay, little guy," he soothed, setting the still dragon down as close to the fire as he dared go. Toothless was already on the other side, his tail flicking lightly as he dropped down. The Night Fury gestured his head, spacing out his front paws in an open invitation.<p>

"_Get over here, midget,_"the dragon growled. "_You won't get warm without company."_

Stoick glared at him. "_I think I'd rather freeze, beast."_

The Night Fury cocked his head, studying the Terror with a calculated expression, before looking up at Hiccup and crooning softly. Stoick barely had enough time to question the act when he was lifted up again, a furry blanket wrapped around him.

"Okay, Toothless, you're in charge," Hiccup said, navigating around the fire and kneeling down by the Night Fury, setting his bundle down in between the dragon's forepaws. Stoick pushed his head out, grimacing at his predicament, before Toothless's head came down, pinning the Terror between blankets and a warm body, the flames insulating them both. The smaller dragon's head flopped down on a scaly leg – clearly he wasn't going anywhere soon. His son seemed to have the same opinion, kneeling down and scratching Toothless just behind his horns.

"Thanks, bud. I'll go get some extra supplies, and you keep him warm."

"_Better get me crab,"_ Toothless grumbled, though Hiccup continued to scratch for another minute before standing.

"I'll try and get those crabs from the warehouse that you liked last time, okay? I'll throw some eels at the Gronkles if I have to."

Toothless chuckled as the boy left the house. "_Vikings. Take some time to train, but __**so**__ worth it."_

Stoick just sighed, fighting down an involuntary shiver as feeling started to come back into his new body. Toothless had him cocooned that any spasms were controlled, and heat seemed to be regulated to reach everywhere at once. The warmth and comfort, any other day, would have made him sleepy.

But to Stoick's new body, warmth was a cold shower. In minutes he could feel his body shaking, tail trying to thrash its way out. He didn't want to be suppressed like this; it was smothering. He needed space, out, out, out!

He started to push and pull on his restraints, growling and snarling when they wouldn't give. Thankfully, Toothless seemed to be aware of the problem, and lifted his head, pulling the furs up with him. Stoick skittered out, landing by the fire, and promptly collapsed. He shook his head, lifting himself back to his feet to try and face the Night Fury, and collapsed again.

"_Stupid legs!"_ he snapped in dragon, which was clearly all he could only speak now. _"They won't do what I tell them to!"_

"_You have two sets now,"_ Toothless explained. "_Crawl instead of walk and you might get the hang of it."_

Stoick shuddered, stumbling back up and muttering curses.

"_Crawling, like some infant. What in Odin's name did I do to be punished like… what did you just say?"_

It had taken a moment, but the Night Fury's last comments had finally pierced the Terrors panicked mind. Toothless was smirking, head back down on his front legs as he studied the little dragon.

"_It's actually a very good look for you, Stoick."_

The former Viking's jaw dropped.

* * *

><p>Of course, this numb panic could only last so long. Current situations aside, Stoick was a perfect archetype of a Viking, and when faced with an enemy, Vikings only have one reaction. Attack.<p>

"_You did this!"_

Toothless snorted as the Terror snarled, scurrying towards him with all the grace of one-legged duck. He raised his head up as Stoick tried to angle into a jump, only to shriek again as the Night Fury plucked him up and put him back between his paws.

"_I did not."_

"_Let me go, Devil!"_ Stoick screamed, pushing with futility against his captor. _"Whatever magic this is, remove it now! How else could you know it was me?"_

"_Oh, hush_,_"_ the larger dragon mumbled. _"Your scent remains unchanged. I was thrown off at the harbour, but now that you've dried off its obvious to anyone with nostrils."_

That placated the chief somewhat, but his throat kept up a low continuous growl under his snapping replies.

"_Then who did this?"_ he asked. _"Why would someone do this? And how did I get here when I was three days out at sea?"_

Toothless was giving out a steady growl of his own, far more calm than Stoick's high pitch. It had the air of someone singing "I know something you don't know," and was easily far more irritating.

"_You'll find out soon enough," _Toothless replied, eyes and ears twitching towards the door, heedless of the glare from below.

"_I thought you said you weren't the cause of this."_

The dragon shrugged. "_I'm not."_

It was becoming a circular argument, and Stoick readied for another attack on the dragon – he was under the beast's jaw; there had to be soft flesh _somewhere_ – when the door to the house opened once again, and Stoick's eyes snapped back to see Hiccup entering with a bucket. His stomach growled uncontrollably when the smell from the metal container reached his new nose. It was hideous and foul and yet possibly the most delicious thing he'd ever smelled. He made to take a step forward, when he was suddenly barrelled forward by Toothless standing up, forcing him to roll nose-to-tail across the ground, landing in an ungainly heap. Toothless paid no attention to him, whuffing lightly as he batted his head against Hiccup's hips, nose nudging at the bucket.

"_Devil beast,"_ Stoick snarled.

* * *

><p>"Yes, yes, I got crabs," Hiccup insisted. "There's two Nadder's in under neck bliss as a result, but I got 'em. Now where's the Terror?"<p>

Toothless gestured his head back to where he'd been lying, as the Terror snarled and hissed back, struggling to his feet. The little dragon was a little more active than it had been when Hiccup had left, but still didn't look too stable on its feet. Toothless was already pawing at the bucket, so Hiccup lifted a cod from the top and dropped it on the ground. The Night Fury's snout eagerly dug in, and Hiccup kneeled down, wiggling the cod in the Terror's direction.

"Good evening, little guy," he began. "You want a late dinner?"

Stoick couldn't take his eyes off the dead fish. His stomach was twisting in knots as the smell teased his nose – the very concept should have been nauseating, but he was scrabbling towards Hiccup all the same. He fell twice, but took Toothless's advice to heart and half crawled, half stumbled over. Hiccup threw the fish, and Stoick's mouth opened impossibly wide, only needing two bites before the fish slid down his throat, slimy and repulsive and delicious all at the same time. He felt his throat rumble, realising he was purring a second too late to stop.

"Well, at least you're hungry. Can't be too sick if you're eating."

As if in reply, his stomach growled, and Stoick's head hit the ground in embarrassment, only made worse by his son chuckling at the scene.

"Somebody must have had a bad night. Come on, have another."

A moment later, there was a fish on the floor, and Stoick gave an involuntary chirp of delight. He could corner Toothless later, and figure out how to change what had happened before the day was out, but for now, with a belly still growling, all he could think about was snapping up the fish, and scurrying towards Hiccup for another.

* * *

><p>Hiccup stayed with Stoick for another half hour before dragging himself to his bed. Toothless, to the surprise of both Haddocks, had stayed up, eyes on Stoick. The teen had eyed them both for a few moments, before nodding in resignation.<p>

"Toothless, just… don't _eat_ him, okay? And don't let him destroy the house."

The dragon had given a few disgruntled chirps before nudging Hiccup towards the bed with his head. Hiccup had joked and patted the Night Fury one last time. The teen had barely gotten to sleep before Toothless swung his head to face Stoick, the good-natured grin for Hiccup gone for a rather smug (and in Stoick's rather experienced opinion, dangerous) smirk.

"_Having fun?"_

Stoick hissed. "_You will change me back now! What happens when the boat returns? How did I even get here so fast?"_

Toothless snorted and walked over, judging the little dragon.

"_I told you, I didn't do this."_

Stoick's hissing reached a higher pitch, and Toothless spotted the warnings of fire gas in the Viking-turned-dragon's throat. He didn't give the Terror a chance to realise what he was doing, instead shooting his own little ball of flame at the open mouth. Stoick gave a strangled squeak, flying into the air before collapsing on himself.

"_Wh… wha…?"_ the dragon gurgled, and Toothless plucked him up, settling him in between his claws again. Stoick didn't even bother to complain this time, too busy trying to shake off the feeling that he'd just swallowed a cannonball.

"_Sleep, Stoick,"_ Toothless urged. "_You'll get answers in the morning."_

And with little other option, Stoick did.

* * *

><p><em>To be continued...<em>


	3. Morning

**MORNING**

He wasn't sure he knew how, but Stoick found his eyes opening at sunrise. He couldn't see the sun, but he knew it was up. From the low growling surrounding him, Toothless was just as active.

"_Shall we wake my rider? Or do you want your answers first?"_

Stoick gave a sidelong glance to the bed, where Hiccup was still dead to the world.

"…_Answers. Hiccup needs his rest."_

Toothless smirked, and lifted Stoick up by the scruff, inciting an angry squeak from the ex-Viking, and placed the Terror carefully on Hiccup's saddle. Stoick's claws grasped the leather instinctively, and got comfortable as Toothless pried open the door and headed out. The sky looked ready to rain any minute, which was enough to keep the dragons on land. Stoick tensed as Toothless slowly walked through the village, well aware of the lizard's eyes coming to rest on him.

"_What are they all staring at?"_ he hissed to his mount, and Toothless huffed in reply.

"_Hope,"_ he replied, and refused to speak again, no matter how much Stoick prodded.

The Night Fury was making its way to the Training Grounds, where most of the dragons inevitably ended up when they couldn't fly. The Cliffside's surrounding it gave impressive shelter from the rain, and the old cages had become comfortable stables that could hold several so long as they didn't mind being crowded.

But Toothless was ignoring most of them, instead moving through the dragons with casual ease, heading for the middle cage, which appeared to be empty.

For a brief moment, Stoick wondered if Toothless planned to lock him away, when he caught something moving at the far back.

The Night Fury stopped at the entrance, pawing the ground restlessly until he was joined by the other dragon, whose brown scales glinted red in the sunlight. Stoick chirped in shock as he recognised the Monstrous Nightmare.

"_Hello, Stoick,_" Hookfang greeted. "_I must admit I didn't expect this to work so soon, or so well."_

"_You?"_ Stoick squawked.

The dragon's shoulders rippled, an attempt to shrug. _"No, and yes. It's not that easy to place blame. We weren't sure it would work at all."_

Toothless suddenly braced himself and shook, dislodging Stoick and sending him flying to the ground. His feet scrabbled uselessly against the cold stone, but somehow stayed upright.

"_No wonder Hiccup gets along with you beasts,"_ he muttered. "_You're incapable of answering a simple question with a simple answer! What did you do, and how do I undo it?"_

Perhaps it would have been funny to any Viking watching, a little Terror hissing and spitting at the much larger Nightmare – Toothless certainly seemed to think so – but the Nightmare wasn't amused. Stoick's demanding questions had barely been asked before Hookfang's snout was in his face, snarling with vicious intent. Stoick, to his eternal shame, involuntarily found his body shrinking to the ground, head ducked – Terror instincts overriding the Viking temporarily.

"_Quiet!"_ Hookfang yelled. _"Do you really think this is something we did for fun? This was a last resort, to help both dragons and Vikings. After your fight with Hiccup, we had no alternative."_

Stoick frowned, forcing his body to stand firm and stared up at the larger dragon. _"What has that fight with Hiccup got to do with anything?"_

"_It has everything to do with it,"_ Hookfang replied. _"We were counting on you taking dragons to your allies, but you kept us back. You don't understand how important it was. How important it will be."_

Toothless, who had been standing to the side, decided to intervene_. "Your ship will return in two days and two nights. And when it sails to harbour, Hiccup's new Terror will vanish and you'll return to the moment you went overboard. Until then, you are finally going to see what needs to be seen."_

* * *

><p>After Hookfang and Toothless's enigmatic message, the Night Fury had picked him up by the scruff once again and taken him home. He'd spent the rest of the morning by the fire, Toothless refusing to let him move too far from the heat until he was certain he was healthy. When Hiccup had woken up, he'd immediately moved over to check on him, before leaving to get the breakfast helping of fish. Toothless let Stoick out of his paws then, moving to the other side of the fire and watching him closely. With Stoick looking remarkably better than he had earlier in the day, Toothless seemed more open to conversation. Specifically, attempting to explain exactly what had happened without making Stoick any less confused.<p>

"_Do you remember the Green Death?"_ Toothless had asked.

"_Vividly,"_ Stoick replied, forcing back memories of screams and smoke, his son falling to inevitable death. _"Your leader, gone but not forgotten."_

"_He wasn't our leader," _Toothless corrected._ "Just old. And powerful. Too powerful. Trying to resist his pull just wasn't possible."_

"_His pull?"_

Toothless did his own shrug. _"Dragons are linked. Astrid referred to us like a beehive once, but that's not completely accurate. We're connected to each other, for survival."_

Stoick hadn't interrupted, and Toothless gave him a toothy grin before continuing.

"_We are connected, so we always know how many of us are in an area_," he explained._ "We keep our flocks at a size the land can handle, we always know who is around us, and we strategise. But the Green Death ignored it. Couldn't hunt for himself, so pulled in every dragon that got too close, and didn't let us spread."_

"_But what does this have to do with me becoming a Terror?"_ Stoick had snapped, unsure of what to make of the story considering he could feel nothing in his mind to suggest the "pull" Toothless described.

"_It's a link,"_ Toothless explained, "_to every dragon in the world. You pray to your gods, we pray to each other. Both get answers in return. We needed you to see the world through dragon's eyes, so we 'pulled' you into a dragon's body on Berk."_

"_Then what about my real body?"_ Stoick asked, and Toothless shrugged again.

"_Perhaps it is on the ship, or perhaps you drowned."_

"_What?"_

The Fury chuckled. "_Hiccup once told Astrid a riddle. 'If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?'"_

Stoick glared at him. He'd heard the riddle before, but didn't see the relevance. Toothless continued.

"_That's the tricky part of all this. For a brief moment you were in the water. Your men could not see you, and nobody on this island will know what happened until that boat returns. Simply put – if you fall into the water and no one can see you, are you really there? We won't know until that boat comes to harbour, where you will make your choice. _

"_You will have been lost at sea, and Hiccup will have a new Terrible Terror to keep him company, you will emerge from the waves with three nights and two days of memories that aren't yours, or Hiccup will lose both his pet and father if you return and drown."_

* * *

><p>"I say we call him Spot."<p>

"He doesn't have any spots, moron!"

"But he looks like a Spot!"

Perched on the edge of a table, Stoick just sighed and dropped his head. This was too much.

After breakfast, Hiccup had been seen heading to the blacksmith's with a Terror in his arms. Something that was apparently big news in Berk since Stoick had a well-known rule about any dragon other than Toothless in the house. It had resulted in the teens of Berk pounding on the door, wanting to see the new arrival. They'd all ended up hanging around the blacksmith's, letting Hiccup back to work, while trying to decide just what to call the Terror.

"Ooh! I know, 'Spotlout!'"

Stoick rolled his eyes, and then glared at Toothless, whose body was shaking with laughter.

"_Don't enjoy this," _Stoick hissed.

Toothless gave a toothy grin. _"But it's so easy…"_

Stoick's spikes were hackled, and he raised himself up, only to feel Hiccup's fingers under his chin, and collapsed back down with a chirp.

"I really don't think he likes any of those," Hiccup replied, stroking the Terror's back carefully. "Besides, it's probably better I just keep calling him 'Terror' or 'Little Guy.' My Dad is never gonna let me keep him."

"It's kinda strange," Fishlegs said, studying the collapsed dragon. "He's so friendly, you'd think we'd recognise him. Maybe he's got an owner?"

"Hiccup's already asked around," Snotlout added. "Had the twins run round to see if any were missing."

Astrid shrugged, looking at the little Terror intently. "Well, it's not like you're asking to keep a flock; it's just one."

"Astrid, unless the little guy saves my life or starts laying golden eggs, my Dad will kick him out the second he gets back. I shouldn't push him, not after that fight we had before he left."

Stoick sighed, shifting on the table while the teens discussed possible owners. They had no idea that when that boat came back to shore, Stoick might not be on it.

"Hiccup, this isn't Meade Hall."

Stoick's ears pricked up at the sound of the familiar voice, stretching over the edge of the table to get a better look. Moments later, a green Terror flew ahead, landing next to Stoick, head cocked in curiosity.

"_Oooh…"_ he chirped. _"Hiccup's dad got sma-all."_

Stoick just glared back.

"Sorry, Gobber," Hiccup apologised, though didn't quite sound as if he meant it. "But nothing's broken this time; promise."

The blacksmith walked in, eyeing all his former students warily. The twins gave him jaunty waves in return, and he rolled his eyes before catching sight of his pet eyeing up the new arrival.

"So, whose this then, eh?" he cooed, leaning on the table to get a closer look. His Terror was circling the red one with rapt fascination, while the red one looked ready to fight. "He'd better not hurt Terry, or we'll be having Terror for lunch."

'Terry,' however, didn't seem concerned, and had taken to prodding his red twin before leaping out of the way of Stoick's teeth.

"_Tag! Tag!" _he squeaked. _"Terry likes this game!"_

"_What will it take to make you go away?"_ Stoick hissed.

"So whose is he?" Gobber asked, still watching them.

"Well, mine… technically," Hiccup started. "Found him washed up in the storm, and thought I'd take care of him till I found an owner. Speaking of which…"

Gobber laughed and turned to face his apprentice full on. "Oh, no. Don't even think it. Terry's more than enough for—"

A frustrated roar interrupted Gobber and he jerked back as several pounds of green Terror leapt onto his back, clawing up his shirt. Moments later, an infuriated red Terror followed, eyes slitted and out for blood.

"_Slow-mo! Slow-mo!"' _Terry chimed.

"_I'll be wearing your teeth as a necklace by this time tomorrow!"_ Stoick yelled.

Gobber squawked, jerking and turning, trying to catch the two Terrors. The twins and Snotlout, eyes lighting up at the new game, quickly jumped Gobber, eager to catch the two. Hiccup winced as the man crashed to the ground, three teens and two Terrors clambering around him with frightful enthusiasm, while Toothless got to his feet, watching the spectacle with delight.

"I got 'em; I got' em!"

"That's my foot, moron!"

"Right… there!"

"Ouch!"

"Hurt! Very much hurt!"

"Hey! Watch what you're touching!"

"Would you all be so kind as to _GET OFF OF ME_?"

Gobber leapt up from the pile with a lower body strength the teens hadn't known the Viking possessed, throwing the three teens on him in all directions and ripping off his hammer prosthetic, glaring at the two Terrors clamped on it. They both looked guilty, and the green one quickly flew to Gobber's shoulder to sit meekly. Gobber then dropped it on the table, dislodging the red one, who clambered away rather dizzily.

"As I was saying," Gobber restarted. "One Terror is enough for me. Don't need a female screwing with his mind."

_That_ brought Stoick back to earth.

"_What? I am __**not**__ a woman! And would you stop laughing?"_

Toothless showed no signs that he even heard him, choosing to roll about the floor in hysterics, much to Hiccups confusion.

Fishlegs held up a hand. "Um, sir, pretty sure 'she's' a 'he.'"

Gobber shrugged, scratching under Terry's chin. "Well, that was a ridiculous bit a freaking out if it wasn't for a dame. Now the lot of you, unless you're gonna learn the art of tanning saddles, clear off. Hiccup, want you back in an hour."

Hiccup nodded, and quickly picked up Stoick, and patted Toothless on the way out, a silent gesture to follow. The rest of the teens quickly fell in, with only Fishlegs returning to pick up the book he'd left with a sheepish grin.

* * *

><p>"Yeesh, it's not like we broke anything this time!"<p>

"You were climbing all over him like children," Astrid snapped. "You got off lightly."

"Oh, yeah," Ruffnut blurted out. "We still haven't got a name for him."

"I still say 'Spotlout,'" Snotlout muttered, to a resounding 'no' from all parties.

Suddenly, Tuffnut yanked Stoick from Hiccup's arms, ignoring the yelps from both, and planted the dragon on a nearby fence post. He started to stare at the dragon intently, and Stoick found a frightfully strong part of him wanted to bite the Thorston boy's nose. He resisted, and was almost grateful for the arrival of his sister, who also returned the intent gaze.

The rest of the teens just stepped back at the two performing the same act. It was rare that the twins agreed on anything, but when they did, it usually resulted in something impressive.

Not always in a _good_ way, but impressive all the same.

Stoick found himself shrinking under the intensity, and eventually broke their gaze, drooping down on the post with an involuntary whine. Stupid dragon instincts. He forced himself to look up, and bared his teeth with a hiss.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut, having watched him long enough, slowly turned their heads to face each other, and identically smirks appeared before nodding and facing Hiccup and saying as one:

"Freakout."

Stoick shifted his claws. What?

Hiccup looked just as perplexed. "Come again?"

"Freakout!" Ruffnut insisted, gesturing to the Terror. "Come on, it totally suits him."

Astrid shrugged. "Looks like a 'Freakout' to me," she offered.

"He's not… 'freaking out' over it," Fishlegs joked, watching the Terror.

This was true, though mostly because the Terror appeared to have frozen again, as if trying to process just what was happening and failing. The lack of tantrum, however, seemed to seal his fate.

"All right," Hiccup conceded, walking up to "Freakout" and staring at the shell-shocked face. "At least until Dad comes home, you can be 'Freakout.'"

Stoick whined and drooped his head.

"_Wonderful."_

Snotlout's arm quickly slung around Hiccup's shoulders. "All right, we got wonder boy for a whole hour. Let's get the dragons and get in the sky while there's still daylight."

The twins whooped at this idea, and the lot of them started running towards the stable house. Toothless was already nudging Hiccup onto his saddle, and the teen pushed him away good-naturedly.

"Wait, Toothless, I'll get my riding gear from the house and then we can go."

The dragon rumbled, and the two walked off, leaving Stoick on the fence.

"_Hey!"_ he squawked. _"Hiccup!"_

The dragon and rider paused and turned, surprised at the sounds behind them.

"Well, come on, Freakout," Hiccup urged, gesturing with his hand. "I'm not gonna carry you forever."

Stoick glared at his son, then at the ground, before gritting his teeth and clawing his way down the post. He was halfway down when his claws gave way, and yelped as he crashed to the ground back first. A dozen curses to the gods and their questionable parentage followed as he rolled off his bad and waddled over to Hiccup. Much to his surprise, the boy looked strangely shocked at his arrival. He knelt down, examining the dragon intently.

"_What's wrong with him now?" _Stoick asked Toothless, mirroring the movements of Hiccups own head. The larger dragon just snorted.

"_You were supposed to fly over, oh wise Viking," _Toothless mocked, his own wings twitching. _"Now he's going to—"_

"What's wrong, Freakout?" Hiccup began, gently pulling out one of Stoick's wings and testing for any bruises or tears. "Why didn't you fly?"

The groan from Toothless could have been mistaken for thunder. _"…do nothing but worry about it until he gets you into the sky. Wonderful."_

Hiccup threw an honest attempt at a glare at his friend. "Come on Toothless, don't be like that."

He lifted Stoick back up gently and headed towards his home, Night Fury following.

"I would have thought you of all dragons would be sympathetic to a flightless dragon."

"_Yes, Toothless,_" Stoick chimed, smirking. _"Be sympathetic."_

The Night Fury grunted and shook his head instinctively. And if his ear happened to whack a certain Terror on the head… well, that was hardly his fault, was it?

* * *

><p>Hiccup had eventually been dragged off by his friends, leaving Stoick alone in the house. It was the first time he'd been left alone since his discovery on the rock, and left him pondering the dragon's words. He still didn't completely understand their explanation, but got the feeling that the dragons themselves didn't either. They were running on belief and a longboat of luck – again, no wonder Hiccup got along with them so well.<p>

And he still had no idea what exactly it was all for. Just what was it he was meant to see that the dragons felt the need to go to this sort of length for?

By the time Hiccup returned to smuggle him back into the blacksmith's, Stoick was no closer to an answer, and eventually gave up to watch his son work.

It was… refreshing to see Hiccup excel at something Stoick could understand. The boy had a natural talent for dragons, certainly, but the Viking – the dragon-killing born and raised Viking in Stoick could _appreciate_ Hiccup's skill in the smithy with far more ease. So used to seeing his son fumble and trip and generally mess up anything he put his mind to, watching him forge metal into recognisable shapes and edit blueprints while explaining the concepts to Gobber with words Stoick wouldn't even attempt to _spell_…

He was sorely starting to wish he'd come to watch his son work more often.

Gobber left before sunset, noting the stormy clouds that would keep the dragons grounded and warning Hiccup to close up before Toothless came to "fetch" him. The boy threw a comment back, but was more focused on the steel bars cooling in the water. He paused only to light torches, first bringing them over to Stoick with a "why don't you?" look. Sadly, Stoick hadn't quite caught on until it was too late, and the torch was gone before he could even try to cough up a fireball. He vaguely wondered if he could – Toothless had certainly ignited _something_ earlier, but the actual mechanics were beyond him.

Now he was sitting on one of Terry's multiple perches that Gobber had installed throughout the stall, not too far from the floor but still high enough to see out the doors and window, waiting for Hiccup to finish. He was almost done, packing away stacks of paper and muttering impossibilities to himself while heading into his small corner of the stall. Stoick braced himself to jump down and follow him into his nook, when he heard something rustle by the door.

Someone was here? An intruder?

The spikes on his back tensed as Stoick fell into a crouch, eyes locked on the ground. He could _hear_ the intruder, scurrying into the smithy. So close he could probably reach out and touch them.

"Freakout?" Hiccup called, coming back out of the sound of Stoick's instinctive growling, and watched his pet in confusion. Stoick ignored him, focused on his task…

There!

The sound of a Terror jumping into battle would never be a sound associated with great wars and legendary victories, but to Stoick, his cry could have opened the doors to Valhalla. He shot across the ground, and ploughed into the intruder. Teeth locked onto flesh, claws dug into struggling limbs. One quick yank of his superior jaw, and his enemy went limp. Head held high, he lifted his prize into the light, with all the dignity a Viking of his stature deserved. Hiccup crouched down as he approached, grinning from ear to ear.

"Now, that's a pretty big rat," he complimented, scratching the dragon's head. "Should be proud of yourself."

It was a ridiculous thing – holding up a rat as if it was Gronkle head on a spear – but Stoick had to admit that, right then, proud didn't even come _close_ to how good he felt.

* * *

><p>Hiccup made a big (and rather embarrassing) show of the dragon's kill, and when Toothless finally showed up, the dragon played along, mocking Stoick to eat it. When the Terror faltered, Toothless had gobbled it down with a toothy grin and started pushing Hiccup out the door.<p>

The three of them made it back just before the first few drops of rain hit. Just the sound of the rain suddenly had Stoick agitated, and he tried to hold back the inexplicable revulsion. Even though he couldn't fly, there was something… unsettling about knowing he couldn't even if he wanted to that the rain brought. Judging from the shake and grumbling from the Night Fury, Toothless felt the same way.

"_Waste of a perfectly good sky,"_ the dragon growled. Hiccup immediately went to scratch behind his horns, and the growls became purrs. Stoick snorted in disgust.

"_Pathetic."_

Toothless cracked an eye open to glare at him. _"Shut it. Don't knock what you haven't tried."_

Stoick huffed and jumped to the ground, as Hiccup prepared for bed.

"_I'll pass, beast. And so far this entire thing appears to have been nothing more than an attempt to humiliate me. What exactly have I 'learned' so far?"_

Toothless smirked, and jumped up onto his rafter. "_Patience, Stoick. It's not like we had an itinerary planned. Tomorrow will be more… educational, I promise."_

Stoick growled as the dragon curled his tail and wrapped his wings, out like a light.

"_Devil-beast tormenter…" _Stoick snapped, walking under the Night Fury and pacing. He was half-tempted to see if instincts were enough to light fireballs when Hiccup scooped him up. It had become such a habit that Stoick wasn't even surprised by it.

Apparently tonight Stoick was to be granted home on the bed, as Hiccup dropped him down before getting in, staring at his new pet. Stoick stared back, before inching forward and having Hiccup pick him up again. His son held him up, hands underneath Stoick's front legs and cocked his head.

"You know, I _know_ Toothless is smart. Maybe even human smart. But there's just something about you – you're smarter than the other Terrors."

"_I would hope so,"_ Stoick replied. _"Little runts might be adorable to you but they're definitely not thinkers."_

Hiccup smiled, and Stoick briefly wondered if the boy hand understood him, before Hiccup rolled over, pulling the dragon close to his chest.

"Guess we're two of a kind, then," he said, stroking Stoick's back. "I know it's a long shot, but I really hope Dad lets me keep you. I don't think I could give you up if I tried. Don't think you could either, huh?"

Stoick knew his son was waiting for him to look up, maybe answer with an oblivious chirp, but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it, instead closing his eyes and feigning sleep.

He heard Hiccup laugh. "Yeah, okay; I'm just a warm body to you, I get it."

A light scratch on Stoick's neck and his head dropped down. "Still, it would be nice to have another dragon around full-time."

Stoick waited until his son had stopped moving and was deep in sleep before sitting up, staring at the still form.

Even the blindest man knew Hiccup loved dragons. It was so easy to assume it was just the black beast hanging from the rafter, but it encompassed all of the dragons in Berk. There wasn't a dragon on the island that Hiccup didn't know. Even now he got along better with them than his own kinsmen, only able to connect with them through dragons.

It probably shouldn't have surprised Stoick that his son would connect so immediately with a little Terrible Terror that didn't quite fit in either. He already knew he couldn't keep it, but had bonded anyway.

It only made it worse to remember that when the boat came to dock, Hiccup was going to be crushed – either through loss of his father or loss of his pet.

Before he nodded off, Stoick couldn't help but wonder which he'd miss more…

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p> 


	4. Afternoon

_Past the halfway mark now. Glad you're all enjoying it._

_And since I think I forgot to post this, How to Train Your Dragon does not belong to me._

_R&R_

* * *

><p><strong>AFTERNOON<strong>

Despite a soft bed and the familiar sounds of the Haddock home, it hadn't been a good night. Stoick had continually woken up when he'd rolled on his back, much to the distress of his new spikes and fallen to the floor, resulting in him having to climb back up and repeat the cycle. When dawn came and he fell for the sixteenth time, it resulted in a small hissing fit and a minor attack on the bedpost. His frustrated squawking had woken up Hiccup and Toothless, who saw fit to walk towards him and bat him into the wall when Hiccup wasn't looking.

To be honest, all he wanted was something to eat and then to yell at the dragons until they undid this spell. But Hiccup wouldn't even give him the mercy of an easy meal. Toothless got several cod in his bucket without asking. Stoick, on the other hand, found his fish baited under his nose, before Hiccup yanked it up and placed it on the top of a table. It had been clear his son wanted him to fly up, but despite his best attempts, Stoick couldn't get his wings to do more than half heartedly flap against his back. He'd resorted to clawing up the table leg for breakfast, grimacing at the marks he'd left. Valhallarama had _liked_ this table.

Hiccup had sighed at that, before eating his own breakfast and picking Stoick up. The Terror was tempted to fight out of the grip, getting tired of being manhandled. But with a full belly and an exhausted mind, he relaxed in Hiccup's arms and nodded off.

* * *

><p>"So he can't fly?"<p>

"Not as far as I can tell. Tried again this morning – put some fish on the table. Just climbed the table leg."

Astrid knelt down and stared at the still dozing Terror in Hiccup's arms.

"I'm getting worried about him," Hiccup continued. "He flaps his wings a lot but he never seems to get off the ground. Like he doesn't even realise he's doing it."

"You think it's because of water?" Astrid asked, and Hiccup shrugged.

"Maybe, I don't know. Dragons don't seem to mind water – Toothless fishes all time, but they don't fly in it. Maybe… maybe it does something to them if they're in it too long?"

"Sounds like you're fishing," Astrid warned, and Hiccup sighed.

"We still don't know enough about them for me to know for sure," he admitted, as the two neared the Training Grounds. "But if it's _not_ physical, maybe they can help him out here."

"Viking see, Viking do?" Astrid summarised with a grin. "Eh, worked for Snotlout."

"Hey now, he's getting better."

"Uh, point?"

"Right. Shutting up now."

In his arms, Stoick snorted. "_That'll be the day."_

The sounds of dragons began to echo around them, but Stoick remained in his rather comfortable position, even when the sunlight vanished under the archway. It was only when he felt an erratic breeze started to hit his face that he cracked open an eye. The Training Grounds was full of perching dragons, often just stopping to rest before flying off again. By the old cages, he could see the teens milling about, most of them on their dragons. The twins were arguing again, with their dragon's heads angling to separate them. But in front of him, there was a flock of Terrors flying around his son like crazed Valkyries, chirping and squeaking, stupidly excited about the sight of a new "friend" in Hiccup's arms.

"Okay, Freakout" Hiccup said. "Time for you to get acquainted with some new friends. This is Spike, Spike Two, Fluffy and Dave… and they're the reason Fishlegs is forbidden from ever naming another dragon again."

"Won't answer to anything else now," Astrid sighed. "And down, Spike!"

"Um, actually," Fishlegs called from largest gate in the grounds, "that one's Spike Two. He's very partial to the two."

Astrid rolled her eyes, and Stoick watched as Snotlout dismounted his Nightmare and yanked Fishlegs into the cage.

The Terrors had landed now, scampering around Hiccup's feet, and Hiccup knelt to drop Stoick down amongst them.

"Okay, Freakout. Maybe your problem is a lack of flock. Now these guys are the friendliest Terrors you ever did meet. So, bond, make friends…"

He flapped his arms slightly.

"Fly, soar… be dragon-y…"

Astrid crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Dragon-y?"

Hiccup laughed nervously. "Yeah… I didn't plan that one out too well."

Stoick rolled his eyes and faced his new "friends." They appeared as bemused as he was, darting up and sniffing before darting away again.

"_Redhead has Redscales now,"_ said the blue one.

"_Told you, told you, told you!"_ chimed one green. The other green one darted forward and nipped at Stoick's tail, inciting a sharp squeak in return.

"_Redhead Stoick be it,"_ the Terror decided. _"Chase the Viking! Chase the Viking!"_

The four of them then jumped their new arrival, who bolted, ignoring Hiccups cries and heading for the cages to the side. The teens were all there – they'd keep him safe.

Unfortunately, the Terrors, for all their lack of brains, did appear to have some idea of strategy. Two were flanking him on the ground, while two were in the air, cutting him off and landing in front of him. One leapt on his back and nipped his neck slightly before being thrown off, Stoick throwing himself in a barrel roll. He was so focused on getting out of the area, he didn't even acknowledge the bite hadn't hurt.

He bolted into the cage that had once held Astrid's Nadder, now holding a snoozing Zippleback and filled with extra saddles and harnesses. The perfect climbing frame.

Stoick leapt up the leathers and scrambled along a makeshift shelf. Unfortunately, the red Terror flew in front of him, the force sending them both flying backwards slightly. Two of the others immediately joined in, turning the group into a small ball of spikes and claws.

Stoick roared, but was unable to fight them off, and braced himself as jaws descended… and burst into laughter.

"_S… s… sto… stop that!"_ he croaked, discovering a little too late that the Terrors' idea of hunting was a little less painful and a lot more humiliating than he'd expected. Little claws and tiny nips in all the right places turned him into a squirming, chirping mass.

"_Initiation! Initiation!" _the Terrors sang, only to leap as the last member of their party finally caught up, sending the entire flock flying off the shelf and onto the Zippleback's neck. Their little claws were just as ticklish here, and both heads were up immediately, shooting out with sparking mouths and noxious gas.

In the courtyard, the teens, far too acclimatised to the antics of Terrors to be surprised, quickly found cover in the sky as the Zippleback bolted and threw himself into a roll, rubbing his back against the stone floor and sending his passengers skidding across the grounds in all directions. Stoick stood dazed, and soon found the flock grouping back towards him, chirping excitedly all the while.

"_Again! Again!"_

Vikings did not whimper, but Stoick was fairly certain that was what the sound he made could have been mistaken for. His head jerked around, looking for Hiccup and possibly safe haven, and he bolted when he saw the boy directing Fishlegs' and Stoick's dragons out of the Nightmare's old cage, both carrying large nets of fish. The flock immediately followed, but seemed more interested in the fish than Stoick now.

Hiccup, however, seemed used to this, and stuck out his peg leg when Stoick got too close, keeping him back. "Ah ah, not for you."

Now that he was here, he had to admit the smell was overpowering, but began to wonder exactly what the net had been doing in the Training Grounds. The dragons were notorious foragers when they wanted, and the Vikings of Berk had never kept food in the Training Grounds if they could help it. It was too hard to keep the dragons away.

Too hard apparently, for everyone but Hiccup.

The Terrors all parted when Toothless came out of the cage as well, dragging another net, followed by the twins who were tying ropes to Astrid's Nadder. Fishlegs and Snotlout immediately dismounted and had their dragons drag over the nets.

"Think that's enough, Hiccup?" Ruffnut yelled over, as Toothless dropped his own net next to Hiccup. "All that rain meant we couldn't go out last night."

Hiccup patted Toothless' nose and began harnessing the other net to the Night Fury. "It'll be fine. We managed to get them a pretty good meal last week. Even with the new arrivals, this should be okay so long as we get a good haul over the next few days."

Toothless was crooning at Hiccup with amusement. _"You worry too much, Hiccup. We lasted far longer on far less."_

Fishlegs had his Gronkle carefully set the net on the Nadder's back, and harnessed it with the ropes before Astrid mounted. When the dragon got to its feet, it picked up the other bag in its beak and walked off, now moving rather sluggishly with the added weight. Toothless' own net was clearly meant to be dragged underneath the dragon due to its size, so had stronger and longer ropes keeping it clear of his tail and legs.

Hiccup mounted, checking over the saddle before nodding in satisfaction.

"Okay, we're set. See you guys in a few hours."

Astrid waved goodbye, and her Nadder took a running jump, wings fighting hard to get into the air, and quickly gained altitude. Toothless made to follow, only to be stopped by Hiccup's hand on his neck.

"Wait a sec, Toothless," he asked, and looked over at Stoick, who was still watching the events in confusion.

"Freakout; here, boy."

He patted Toothless's neck in temptation, and Stoick rolled his eyes. He had no desire to go flying on the black beast.

And yet…

His eyes quickly glanced at the Terrors inching towards him.

…Right now it seemed like the lesser evil.

"_Gods, please don't let me regret this…"_

And with that, Stoick gave a defeated chirp and scurried over to Hiccup's waiting arms. Settling in between the leather harness and the saddle, Stoick closed his eyes and dug his claws in as Toothless took to the sky.

* * *

><p>At first, Stoick had clamped down on the saddle with everything he had, even biting the saddle for grip when Toothless took off. He ignored Hiccup's whoops of joy and kept his eyes shut, until the dragon stopped climbing and settled into a steady path. Not too far away, Astrid was shouting encouragement on her Nadder, moving far more sluggishly considering the net of fish that was being hauled.<p>

He had no intention of moving until Hiccup got the creature back on the ground, but found that plan fell to ruins when Hiccup's thin hands wrapped around his body, fingers scratching under his chin and forcing him to let go. A frustrated cackle left his throat, and Hiccup brought him close.

"Come on, Freakout. How can you be a dragon and not like flying? Toothless won't let you fall."

Stoick just kept himself still, hoping his son would give up and let him go. He got half of his wish as Hiccup sighed.

"Okay, but just remember, I tried to do this the easy way."

Toothless was growling, wicked glee in every note. _"Drophimdrophimdrophimdrophim!"_

Stoick's eyes snapped open. What?

And Hiccup did just that.

* * *

><p>"<em>Hiccup!"<em>

He was going to have his son's other leg for this!

The screaming was involuntary, but he didn't bother to stop, too focused on flailing legs and wings flapping uselessly against the wings. Like swimming in a suit of armour. Every now and then one would catch a wind current, sending him into a spiral. In the sky not too far off, he could see Toothless chasing him, tongue out and gliding with no apparent effort, despite his own haul.

He'd never hated a dragon more in his life.

"_Come on!"_ he screamed. _"Work already!" _

"_Stop struggling," _Toothless called through the air.

"_Spread your wings and feel the wind!"_ the Nadder shouted, growls muffled by her haul. "_They're not arms! They're sails!"_

Sails… sails… he knew sails. He could work with sails…

He fought the wind, forced the leathery flaps to widen, and jerked as his body suddenly blew upwards. His legs instinctively curled under his body as he rose in the air, and he tried to catch his breath as he suddenly found himself all but floating hundreds of feet in the sky.

"And he's got it!" Hiccup whooped.

"Atta boy, Freakout!" Astrid encouraged, followed by a roar of approval from her Nadder.

"_Slow learner, but you finally got it,"_ Toothless joked. "_Now get back here."_

Stoick sniffed and flapped his wings when he felt the wind rise. His body flew up past Toothless and Hiccup, and up to Astrid. She smiled and patted the crook of the Nadder's neck, offering the Terror a place on his neck. Stoick was tempted, but noticing Toothless coming closer, and found himself flapping over. Hiccup stuck one hand out almost instinctively, and Stoick made to land… only to crash into it and find his claws digging into the cloth. Before the wind could blow him back, Hiccup had brought him back to his chest.

"Good boy, Freakout," Hiccup cooed, stroking his back. "You did really, really well."

He tried to keep Stoick close, but after that initial burst of flight, Stoick just felt agitated to be held up in air. He pulled free, and tentatively crawled to Toothless's head. A slight pause before heading between the horns, and sticking his tongue out in the air.

"_I forget. Did we turn you into a dragon, or a dog?" _Toothless mocked.

"_Oh, shut up and fly."_

* * *

><p>The two dragons navigated the cliffs and rocks of the Dragon's Nest with less grace than normal, mainly due to their cargo. Stoick still had no idea what they were doing, but when he heard the echoing calls of dragons, he started to have an inkling.<p>

He jerked back when a Nightmare flew out of the fog, inches from Toothless, closely followed by another. On his other side, a Zippleback eyed Astrid's haul, held off by a snarl from the Nadder.

The two landed on the beach, dropping the fishnets and landing on the shore. The dragons that had been trailing him quickly landed, but stopped at the fish.

"_Why so much fish for a couple of dragons?"_ Stoick muttered. "_How gluttonous can they be?"_

Toothless ambled over, and nodded towards the gaping hole in the mountain. _"It's not just a 'few' dragons Stoick."_

Curious, Stoick crawled over to look inside, and his jaw dropped.

Dragons. Dozens of them… maybe a hundred. He barely had time to process the thought before the scent of fish blew inside, and he was thrust back from the sheer force of the collective flock flying out towards "lunch."

Toothless was hissing at the collective, his unofficial status of "leader" still working here. The flock hesitated before coming close, and separated as Hiccup walked through them, sticking to Toothless' side as the Night Fury growled the first of the dragons forward. Stoick stood frozen, staring at the spectacle, before he felt the beak of Astrid's Nadder pluck him up by the neck, just in time to avoid being trampled by a small swarm of Terrible Terrors. The Nadder swung him gently, giving him ample time to get hold of the dragon's neck and settle before walking round the feeding sight.

"_The young one comes once a week to feed our brethren,"_ the Nadder explained. "_But this can't work forever."_

Stoick was still staring in shock, as yet _more_ dragons started to crawl out of the cave. And was that a _Whispering Death…?_

"_Since when are there Whisperer's this far North?" _he squeaked. Amidst the dragons, he spotted Hiccup tense slightly as the creatures made mostly of teeth drew near, only to force himself to relax, and give the first newcomer a small pat on the cheek before letting it grab from the pile.

"_Three arrived last month,_" the Nadder explained. _"They flew even through the snowstorms just to see if the rumours were true."_

"_Rumours?_" Stoick repeated.

"_That there was a place where a dragon could live in peace without fear,"_ the Nadder answered. _"They lost over two-thirds of their flock this summer when Vikings ambushed their nesting site. It is just a pity we can't be more accommodating."_

Stoick just shook his head. _"But… there's nowhere near this many dragons on Berk."_

"_You were here when Hiccup killed the Green Death,"_ the Nadder snapped. _"You saw our numbers. We may be able to co-exist peacefully, but do you really think Berk could support our entire flock? We outnumber you ten-to-one at best. Right now, those of us who do not have 'riders' swap over with those who stay here, so we all get a shot at finding a human partner to bond with."_

The Nadder jerked her head at the Boneknappers. _"But it's going to get worse. Our calls of celebration, the loss of the Green Death in our minds… as the weather gets better, more and more dragons will migrate here, and soon we will have the problem of the Green Death all over again, only this time due to sheer numbers."_

"_Why didn't Hiccup tell me about this?" _Stoick whispered, watching the two young Vikings leave the fish pile to tend to the smaller dragons, chicken legs and things too small to tell coming from saddle packs.

"_He was afraid?" _the Nadder guessed. _"So as scared of dragons as you are, you might try to cull those of us not on the island. That's why he put so much hope into that trip to the tribe."_

Stoick frowned and cocked his head. _"How so?"_

"_Think about it, oh great leader,"_ the Nadder joked. _"The more tribes that find peace with dragons, the more places we can go. We can spread out across the oceans, and live in peace with all humans. Because this little corner cannot hold us all."_

The Terror swallowed, and gazed at the nest in a new light, for the first time realising just how little there was here, how the dragons had to be staying away from Berk to avoid breaking their new truce, instead relying on a boy and girl to bring them a ration each week, all the while hoping that they could one day leave and have what this Nadder and Toothless and maybe even Hookfang had.

"_Why is it every time I think I understand something, Hiccup or you beasts always managed to rip it to pieces?"_ he muttered, mostly to himself, but receiving a cackle in return.

"_Arrogance, human. Arrogance and naivety."_

* * *

><p>Stoick sat sprawled on the carved dragon head on the roof of the Haddock home as the sun began to set. After feeding the hoards at the Nest, Hiccup had come back to the Training Grounds for a full afternoon of flying lessons for the villagers. Stoick had stayed for an hour before flying off – he hadn't meant to stay that long, but there was something infectious about Hiccup's teaching style.<p>

It was rather embarrassing that it took being a complete stranger to actually realise how… good-different his son was now that he had dragons. Stoick loved his son, possibly more than anything else in the world, but his reactions and personality had always been a brick wall. Hiccup had spent his childhood and teen years trying to find a compromise between his own eccentricities and what was expected of him, and hadn't managed to do anything other than fail spectacularly.

Was it wrong that he was only just now realising that had smiled more in the past six months than Stoick could remember over the last ten years?

His son was eccentric – they both knew that. But that insanity had paid off, brought a new, safer era for the Vikings of Berk…

…So why was he so afraid of sharing it?

"_Is this seat taken?"_

Stoick looked down to see Hookfang staring up at him, the large Nightmare resting by the house, but keeping his bulk away from the walls. Stoick shook his head and looked back out at the ocean.

"_You are troubled."_

Stoick sighed. _"Life was so much simpler when you were mindless beasts we had to slaughter."_

Hookfang snorted. _"I would have to agree."_

The Terror looked at him in confusion and the Nightmare gave a toothy smirk. _"What? We now have to live in harmony with a potential food source that has spent most of a century trying to wipe us out while not upsetting them enough to have them chase us off. You think this has been easy for us?"_

Stoick chuckled. _"Well, when you put it like that…"_

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the colours bleed out from "Freakout's" third night.

"_Have you decided what you are going to do?"_

Stoick didn't answer at first, instead lifting himself up into a more stable sitting position, spikes rippling across his back.

"_There is no question about my choice,"_ he began._ "I am Stoick the Vast and that is who I will die as, be it drowning in a storm or many years from now."_

Hookfang nodded. "_Not unexpected. When you see the boat, fly towards it. I will take care of the rest."_

The tone of the Nightmare's voice suggested Stoick would be happier if he didn't ask how.

"_As for what I'll do when I get back…"_ Stoick trailed off, before tensing and standing proudly. _"I can't force the other tribes to accept what we have when we are still learning ourselves. I… understand how much you need the other tribes now, but they won't. This will take time."_

Hookfang studied the dragon for a few moments before nodding.

"_But you will try?"_

Stoick nodded. _"For Berk, for Hiccup… and for the lot of you miserable interfering beasts."_

The last part of his reply was said with a smirk, and the Nightmare chuckled, standing on his hind legs and staring at the Terror eye to eye, nostrils flaring slightly.

"_Then this was worth it,"_ Hookfang answered. _"Whether you admit it or not."_

"_Ask me when I have hands again," _Stoick finished, before jerking up at the familiar sounds coming from the sky. His son and dragon were flying again. He could just make out the black shape in the late sky, almost close enough to touch.

"_Go,"_ Hookfang whispered, almost too quiet to here. _"Your young one will lose you tomorrow, and you will never get this again. He may love you as a father, but for now, you can learn how to be his friend."_

Stoick was still frozen, staring up.

"_I thought being a father was enough."_

"_It's not always a case of 'either or.'"_

Stoick spread his wings, and chased after the black shadow as the sun set.

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>

* * *

><p><em>I'm starting to realise just how quick this story actually goes when its not being read as one big lump. Ah well, least I know for future reference.<em>


	5. Evening

**EVENING**

Perhaps Stoick was more accustomed to his form, or perhaps it was because his wings ached too much from a good night's flying to move, but Stoick's last night was far more peaceful than the one before. He had remained curled up by Hiccup's chest all night, without turning once, waking only when dawn broke.

Toothless was fed, "Freakout" was fed, and Hiccup walked out into Berk with one dragon by his side, the other on his shoulder. The three headed out to the grassy cliff sides that offered the best view of the ocean, and Hiccup gulped at the dark dot heading through the rocky sentinels.

"Well, that's Dad back."

He held out his arm for Stoick to crawl down, and scratched the Terror's neck when it settled on the grass.

"Now I have the fun job of convincing him to keep you."

Stoick averted his eyes, choosing instead to watch the boat. It was getting closer.

Hiccup followed the gaze, but mistook it for a look out at the ocean.

"What's wrong, boy? You see something else?"

Stoick crooned. The boat would be here soon; he didn't have much time…

"You want to go to the Dragon's Nest? You see a flock? What?"

Hiccup made to pick the dragon up again, only to hear the happy yells of Berk's inhabitants as the boat made it through the sentinels and into the harbour. The majority of the villagers made their way down the stone steps, eager to help and pushing each other along good-naturedly.

"The boat's coming to dock!"

"Move, move, move! No telling what happened with the storms they way they were."

"Hiccup! Put the Terror down and come help us."

Toothless glanced at Stoick before nudging Hiccup towards the steps. Hiccup sighed, and gently placed Stoick down on the grass.

"Freakout, I'm gonna go see my Dad, okay? I just need you to stay here for a few minutes; let me talk to him…"

He scratched under the dragon's chin.

"Maybe see what I can do about keeping you. Just… don't do anything I'm famous for doing, okay?"

Stoick chirped, and Hiccup smiled before standing up and running for the harbour. Toothless bounded after him, only stopping at the top of the steps to glance over at the red Terror.

"_You had better be on that boat or still sitting here when I get back, Viking,"_ Toothless warned. _"Or I will fly to Hel and drag you out myself."_

Stoick smirked. _"Now there's a promise you won't need to keep."_

Toothless matched the smirk, and jumped out of sight, leaving Stoick on his own on the grass. He slowly walked over to the cliff edge, watching the boat edge closer and closer to the dock. There was no telling what who was on it, too far away to be sure.

But Stoick didn't need to know. He had to be on it. He _had_ to be.

Red wings stretched in the sun, his legs tensed, and he jumped, catching the updraft and gliding towards the boat, unsure of what to do next.

Then the scent of other dragons filled his nostrils, and he looked back to see Hookfang and several other dragons flying around the side of Berk, coming into view in perfect sync. Hookfang flew close, eying Stoick carefully, but giving out a booming roar that even those at the harbour could hear, if not understand.

"_Shoot him down!"_

* * *

><p>Stoick froze in the air at Hookfang's order. Who was he talking too, and about wh—<p>

Suddenly, boiling water surrounded him, paralysing his wings and permeating every scale. The Terror tried to shriek only to swallow the liquid. His body fell, and crashed down into the ice cold waves.

He hit the water and kept going, sinking deeper into the depths. No matter how hard he tried the current pulled him down, the light vanishing in dark and cold obscurity.

Stoick clawed in general direction of the surface, but his body was numb, too heavy to fight against the water. His body slowed, unable to keep up the battle.

Then, there! Something moving in the water. A dragon?

He saw the lack of water rather than the creature itself, but suddenly there was a force working with him against the tide. He forced his arms up as whatever had hold up him drew him further and further towards a far distant light.

When his head broke water, he didn't see the moon, or hear the cries from the boat just a few strokes away, or notice the large body that floated beside him.

Instead, all he could see was pale skin and matted red hair. His hands, forgetting their necessity in the water, tugged it to prove it wasn't a hallucination. The sharp pain, and the high growl from the creature by his side as he slipped under the water again was enough to prove it, and his arms began to plough through the water, reaching his boat and pulling himself back on board with the help of the men. With his clothes soaking wet, his already considerable bulk was no easy feat to get back on board, and the collective yelped when he seemed to fly through the air, crashing on two of them. In the water, the beast that had pulled him back to the surface dove back under the water, swimming around the boat. In the dim light, the Vikings could see calculating eyes hiding just under the surface.

It followed them towards their destination, a tiny island that with enough shelter to last the storm, eventually coming close enough to touch. Now recovered from the water, and his breath now caught, Stoick looked overboard, locking eyes with the beast. It_ was_ a dragon. A Skaldron. But the way it moved, how it had helped him… and now it watched, not attacking, but waiting. In the back of his mind, he could hear Astrid's Nadder warning him on at the nest…

"_They flew even through the snowstorms just to see if the rumours were true… that there was a place where a dragon could live in peace without fear."_

Had those days really happened? Or had it been nothing but the gods playing tricks on him? Either way, this dragon was waiting, watching. Would they attack, or would they let him be?

It could have been a trick of the water, but Stoick swore he could see hope in the Skaldron's eyes.

"Sir?" one of his men found the courage to ask. "What do we do?"

Stoick glanced over, before turning his attention back to the water dragon, and sighed. Then, slowly, held his hand out, inches above the water.

All on the ship heard the dragon's happy song as a smooth yet scaly snout bobbed into Stoick's palm.

* * *

><p><strong>To be concluded...<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Since both this and the epilogue are quite short, I was tempted to fuse them together, but decided they work best seperate. Final Chapter up tomorrow!<em>**  
><strong>


	6. Sunrise

**SUNRISE**

The Skaldron followed their ship for the remaining days, even pushing the boat along when the waves died down. Many of the men began trying out names for the new arrivals, though none seemed to fit. The dragon itself seemed quite happy with the attention, singing songs not unlike the whales that would nurse near the islands further south. It thankfully avoided jumping and splashing like the other water-bound creatures though; considering its huge bulk mostly hidden in the water, it would no doubt sink the boat if they were hit. The boiling hot jets it would shoot also came in handy when small flocks of dragons would get a little too close to the boat and its easily clawed sail.

Finally, after songs and storms and stories, Berk came into view, and the Skaldron found its roars matched by the cheers of Stoick's men. The villagers could already be seen running down the steps towards the harbour, ready to aid the ships party. The Skaldron hesitated in the waters for a moment, watching Stoick in the boat, who had turned his eyes to the sky. There was a little red Terror flying away from the island, heading towards the boat. Then, flying over one of Berk's high cliff sides, Hookfang flew into view, followed by several more. The Skaldron crooned at the sight, only to stop as the Nightmare roared in reply, turning to stare at the Terror that was getting ever closer to the boat.

The Skaldron ducked under the water, then leapt up, shooting a strong burst of boiling water straight at the Terror. It hit the target perfectly, only giving the little dragon time to give out a squeak before plummeting down, hiding the water's surface with a harsh slap.

Stoick watched for several minutes. The Terror never surfaced.

The Skaldron, now encouraged by the signs of dragons in the air, sped past the boat, swimming up to the harbour. The boat was angled into its slipstream, and the villagers took a step back as the dragon reached the harbour. But one was already pushing forward, helped by his perpetual black shadow. As the boat docked and everyone went to help, Hiccup was on his knees, staring at the green and blue dragon with a mix of awe and delight. Toothless sat by his side, purring contentedly to the Skaldron's deeper tones. Stoick shrugged off the greetings and questions from his tribe, directing them to his men, and walked over to his enraptured son.

"Hiccup?"

The teen's head jerked up, and he got to his feet with a nervous smile. Stoick was almost caught off guard when he realised he was once again taller than his son. By his side, Toothless gave him a sly glance and smirk before turning his attention back to the new dragon.

"Dad! Uh, hey, uh… how was your trip?"

Stoick gave a small smile, and ruffled his son's hair.

"Enlightening."

* * *

><p>Enlisting the help of the dragons that had flown into view, the boat was unloaded in a matter of minutes, and Stoick took the free time to wrap an arm around Hiccup's shoulder and start leading him away back up the steps. Toothless followed after, giving the two an unusual amount of space for once.<p>

"So… how's things been while we were away? Your lessons go as planned?"

Hiccup jerked under the shoulder, but quickly masked it under a grin. "Uh, yeah; yeah, they were… uh… fine, yeah. Everything's good."

Stoick stared at him, trying to hide the guilt he could feel spinning in his chest. "Anything… interesting happen?"

He watched his son struggle with the words he wanted to say, mouth opening and closing several times before finally choosing an opening statement.

"Well… there was this _little_ thing that happened. Just before the storms hit Berk I found this little, and I mean _really little_, wouldn't even notice if it was around full-time little, Terror washed up at the dock. I've been taking care of it for the past few days."

"Have you?" Stoick asked, hiding the wince as they headed up the stairs.

Hiccup swung round, stopping at the last few steps and stared at his dad with genuine desire.

"Please, Dad, I _know_ how you feel about dragons in the house and I _know_ I said it would just be Toothless, but I _swear_, you won't even know Freakout's around, I promise."

"Freakout?" Stoick repeated as Hiccup headed up the last few steps.

"Just come see him, I promise he's—"

Hiccup trailed off and stopped at the top of the steps, staring at the grass in confusion.

"…He was right here."

Stoick followed him up and scratched the back of his head as Hiccup took a few steps, looking around in vain. Toothless quickly came to his side, immediately crooning to comfort.

Hiccup spun round with a nervous smile. "Okay, so we haven't quite got 'stay' down yet. But he's no trouble at a—"

"This Terror," Stoick interrupted, an idea forming in his head, "wouldn't have been red, would it?"

His son paused in surprise.

"Yes…"

Stoick nodded. "When we were coming into dock, I saw a red Terror flying out to sea. Little sluggish but, definitely seemed to know where it was going."

Hiccup stilled, and slowly turned his head out to sea. He walked up to the cliff edge, barely aware of Toothless by his side, and stared out.

"Oh… I guess… I guess he remembered somewhere he had to be…"

It was a poor joke, even by Hiccup's standards, and Stoick walked over, again bringing his arm around Hiccup's shoulders, wondering if he should take it back.

But… no. Even if Hiccup did believe him, it would be too easy for him to tell someone else by accident. Hiccup could keep a secret, but when panicked or excited words would slip – and the last thing he needed was the Vikings of Berk learning that dragons could turn _them_ into dragons at any time they chose.

Judging from the lack of glaring coming from Toothless, the dragons agreed. That admitting the events of the last few days would only hinder everything.

For now, Stoick patted Hiccup's back in comfort.

"Maybe he'll come back."

Hiccup shrugged. "Yeah, maybe."

Stoick sighed. "And if he doesn't… maybe… maybe we can see about… I don't know… taking in one of the stragglers running round here. So long as it's house-trained."

Hiccup looked up in surprise. "Really?"

Stoick shrugged. "I had some time to think over the past few days, and well… I can't really be the leader of a dragon-friendly Berk if I don't start being a little more friendly with them myself, can I?"

Hiccup didn't even blink, and Stoick was vaguely worried he may have snapped Hiccup's overworked brain, when the teen flung his arms around him and hugged him tightly, a genuinely happy laugh working its way out through Stoick's heavy furs.

A laugh Stoick couldn't help but return.

* * *

><p>The morning passed quickly and smoothly, with the boat unloaded and tales from the neighbouring tribe to tell, and Stoick found himself with more than enough to do as Chief. When he finally managed to drag himself away, leaving any remaining details in Spitelout's hands, he headed back to the harbour, where he'd heard the twins were making the new arrival "welcome."<p>

As he walked down the steps, he could see two of them, along with Hiccup and Toothless, watching them. Ruffnut and Tuffnut had climbed up a post that hung diagonally over the water, each holding a chicken in their hands and watching the water with glee.

"Come on, Doom Bubble!" Tuffnut goaded.

"It's your favourite!" Ruffnut chimed. "_Cooked_ chicken…"

The water rippled, and Stoick watched the two yelp as the Skaldron's head erupted from the water, swallowing not only the poultry, but their hands. He hadn't bit down though, and the two yanked their arms out before the water dragon crashed back into the water with a happy foghorn sound.

"That. Was. So. Cool!" Tuffnut yelled, throwing his hands into the air, only to fall back and crash into his sister, toppling the two into the water. Moments later they flew out of the water on a powerful jet spray, the Skaldron's head bobbing on the surface.

Hiccup was on the edge of the dock, staring at the dragon in fascination. He was lying on his belly, hands free, and as the dragon came closer, he held one out, several inches from water. Doom Bubble appraised him, head bobbing, before lifting himself up slightly, letting Hiccup's hand pat his smooth scales.

Stoick couldn't help but match the smile on Hiccup's face, and decided to make himself known.

"Doom Bubble? Is this what happens when I let you name new dragons?"

Hiccup's jerked up, awkwardly forcing his body into a sitting position.

"Dad! Um, it's a… temporary name. Ruffnut and Tuffnut came up with—"

Stoick held up his hands. "Thorstons? Say no more."

Hiccup considered that a strange reply, but didn't question it. His father seemed oddly nervous, and let it be.

"Hiccup…" Stoick started, then sighed before starting again, this time with more conviction.

"Hiccup, I want you and I to make up plans for the best way to introduce dragons to the other tribes."

His son blinked in shock. "Come again?"

Stoick rolled his eyes. "You heard me. You're right, we can't just wait until it's time to trade, but we can't force them to see our ways. So we need to find a medium, something that'll work for everyone. And I need your help to do that."

A smile was slowly spreading on his son's face. "You want my help?"

"Yes."

"And you'll actually listen to what I say?"

Stoick's eyes narrowed. "As long as you're willing to do the same."

The smile became a grin, and Hiccup stuck out a hand.

"Deal. First thing's first. You. Hookfang. Flying lesson. Today."

Stoick's mind flashed back to the day before, another lifetime ago – where wings fought against the wind, tongue flapping against the breeze as his little body floated in mid-air… and shook his sons hand fiercely.

"Deal."

* * *

><p><strong>END<strong>

* * *

><p><em>...And were done. Thank you everyone for following this. Hope you enjoyed my first foray into continuous fiction for this fandom, and that you all enjoyed it. At least more than I enjoyed writing it (writers block on a deadline is HELL!)<br>_

Luki**  
><strong>


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